The DATA JUSTA Millennium Nucleus and the University of Atacama (UDA) formalized a collaboration agreement that will help expand research, training, and interinstitutional work around justice, memory, and reparation.
In a ceremony marked by a commitment to the values of truth, justice and non-repetition, the UDA formally joined the DATA JUSTA team, a scientific initiative that seeks to improve the way in which the State collects, manages and uses information on serious human rights violations.
DATA JUSTA brings together researchers from various disciplines and Chilean universities, including Alberto Hurtado University, Austral University of Chile, Diego Portales University, the Pontifical Catholic University, and now, the University of Atacama. Its central objective is to critically analyze state registration and documentation systems, proposing improvements that ensure dignified and effective care for victims.
The work of the Nucleus is organized into three axes: the production and use of data; the management, assistance and reparation to victims; and the standards of state compliance with national and international commitments in human rights, associated with three cases of severe violations: attempted femicides, human trafficking and cases of police violence that occurred during the social uprising of 2019 and 2020.
“This agreement reflects our commitment to truth, justice, and non-repetition. At the DATA JUSTA Center, we seek to strengthen our collaborative work with universities across the country, and the participation of the University of Atacama will be fundamental to continuing to contribute to the development of a more just and democratic society,” stated Elizabeth Lira, Deputy Director of DATA JUSTA.
The incorporation of UDA allows for the consolidation of a strategic alliance with a regional public university, which contributes to broadening the Center's perspective to include local experiences and realities. The Academic Vice-Rector's Office emphasized the concrete benefits that this agreement will have for the university community.
“For UDA, this agreement means opening up spaces for research, training, and interdisciplinary collaboration on issues of high social impact. It directly benefits us as a university community because it expands our academic networks and, at the same time, positions us in the debate on human rights and social justice in Chile,” said Fernando Herrera, Academic Vice-Rector of the University of Atacama.
In this context, research on data registration and victim care in the context of the 2019 social uprising is considered especially relevant, where Alejandra Vega Álvarez, a professor in the Psychology program at UDA, is an active member of the DATA JUSTA research team.
With this agreement, DATA JUSTA continues to strengthen its academic and institutional collaboration network, and advances in its mission to contribute to accountability, reparation for victims and the building of guarantees of non-repetition.